I heaved out a sigh with a rueful grin. “I do. Which is why I’m braced for him to outdo himself, as usual, with no advance notice.”
“We’re always prepared for a feast,” Winston called back over his shoulder. “Especially in House Isador.”
On my right, Gina pulled out what looked to be an old-fashioned paper phone book. “When you mentioned Leonie was coming with you, I took the liberty of grabbing the Triune directory. I thought it’d be interesting to show you how little information still exists about your true house, Leonie.”
She flipped the book open to the page for Delafosse and placed it in front of me so we could all look at it. There was still a faint, dried smudge of my blood in the upper left-hand corner of the page. “Jeanne had a sigil placed in every single copy that went out to every House that kept anyone from even reading your information. Once Shara broke the sigil, all we could read was a consiliarius name listed as Wrenna Jade.”
Leonie shook her head. “That’s not my consiliarius’ name. Onésime and his wife Adélaïde served House Delafosse, and his mother and grandmother before him served my mother.”
“Wrenna Jade was an anagram for ‘Ward Jeanne,’” I said softly.
Leonie let out a disgusted sigh. “That fucking bitch dared to erase my entire house with her games.”
Gina’s lips quirked. “Did they use Delafosse as a surname out in the human world, or would they have used a different name?”
“They used Landry in the human world. I know the Dauphine killed them both, but they had a young daughter. She might have escaped the house. Her name was Zelie and she was ten years old.”
“Excellent. I’ll start a thorough search and see if we can track her down.”
“From Thierry’s memories, my mother sent him to your house right before she went to Italy to conceive me. The Dauphine was already there. Do you have any idea how long you’d been imprisoned before he arrived?”
“Right before the Dauphine arrived masquerading as Queen Isabelle, my House had just gone to the inaugural New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in Beauregard Square to hear Mahalia Jackson. That was April 24, 1970.”
My heart sank like a stone. So long ago. I reached over and closed my fingers around hers on top of the table. “I’m so sorry.”
Leonie’s eyes shimmered and she turned her hand over to thread our fingers together. “Every day felt like eternity, so it could have honestly been centuries or a single day, and it would have felt the same.”
“Did you have any other humans associated with your House who might still be alive?” Gina asked.
“Many,” Leonie admitted. “Because we ran a prominent voodoo shop in the French Quarter, we had hundreds of contacts throughout the country, some of whom knew what we were. It’ll likely be easier for me to check and see who’s passed away in my absence so I can provide you with a list of the living.”
Winston brought the tea to the table in a rolling tray and began pouring, so I released her hand. Though my curiosity was piqued. “How will you know which humans have passed?”
“I’ll know who’s dead as soon as I tap into my resources.” The chips of amber and emerald in her eyes began to spin and brighten. A slow smile curved her lips. “It might have been a few decades since I practiced, but I’m the Queen of the Undead.”
16
LEONIE
Simply saying my gift out loud after so long made hairs on my nape prickle. Goosebumps raced down my arms. My ears picked up a high-pitched ringing that no one else seemed to hear, even my new queen.
Whispers I could almost hear. Spirits longing to talk to me. Desperate to be heard.Soon, I promised them.
“Can you tell me about your power?” Shara asked.
“My goddess, Oya, stands at the gates of the dead and ushers them across the river to the afterlife. My great-grandmother’s line has been gifted with the role of guardian of the dead, while her sister’s line inherited Oya’s storm and wind gifts. Once my mother moved us to New Orleans, our practice broadened to include aspects of Vodùn and Haitian Vodou, which have many similarities to Yoruba. New Orleans was a melting pot of peoples and religions, and House Delafosse acted as one of many cauldrons. We embraced it all, even the human traditions, and reveled in the practice that became known as New Orleans Voodoo.”
“Before we left your nest, you said something aboutcleansing it. What did you mean? It felt fine to me. Your blood circle was still there underneath Jeanne’s.”
:Please pardon the interruption, my queen,:one of the Blood said in her bond.:But the Dauphine’s blood laybeneathLeonie’s, hiding beneath the true queen’s protection in case anyone who knew what to look for might notice.:
“That’s Xin, my wolf,” Shara said out loud. “Can you join us and explain what you mean?”
I heard no one approach. I saw no one. But suddenly a male Blood stood beside his queen. My hand trembled enough to clatter the cup against the saucer.
The Blood bowed, his jet-black hair slipping over his shoulder. “My apologies for startling you, Your Majesty.”
“Xin’s gift of invisibility has saved me numerous times,” Shara said. “He also has the ability to slip into other queens’ blood circles.”
